Saturday, January 3, 2009

Bring on the New Year... and the cakes!

Happy New Year! A little late, I know, but I've already "seen" most of you and exchanged New Year's greetings. There are so many ambitious New Year's resolutions floating around blogland! Two of my favorite resolutions are Brooke's "to be happy" and Katie's "to enjoy life". So simple, yet so hard to do sometimes. So with you all as my witnesses I hereby join Brook and Katie in their resolutions to be happy and enjoy life. Please, feel free to slap me and remind me of this day if I start whining about some ridiculous, inconsequential nonsense in the future.

Here's something else I want to do this year, at least once a month I want to try a new ingredient, or ingredients, that send me into a panic just by thinking about them. Case in point: Brussels sprouts! Everybody is always posting such mouth-watering pictures of their roasted Brussels sprouts but I've been too chicken to try them. Then I saw Alice in Veganland tried them and liked them (even after being terrorized by a story about worm-filled sprouts!), and then I saw Denny's sprouts and that did it. I went to the store and bought five of them. That's it. Five little brussels sprouts. They sat in the refrigerator for a few days before I could summon the courage to roast them, and when I did, they actually tasted good! Shocking!

Doesn't that soggy asparagus look appetizing?

Speaking of things that taste good, Bianca is writing a rockin' cookbook and I get to be a recipe tester! The first recipe we got to test was Cinnamon Pecan Waffles. I made these as soon as Bianca posted the recipe, but I didn't have any pecans, so walnuts were the stand-in nut. The cinnamony steam that was coming out of the waffle maker as they cooked made me want to lick the still-raw batter straight off the hot iron. Glad I didn't. I waited (im)patiently the whole 5 minutes that it took our little Black and Decker to cook them thoroughly. The result? Crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside, nutty, cinnamony little squares of heaven!

And now it's time for a random cake recipe that I baked a couple of days ago...

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.2- In a medium bowl combine the apples, coconut, brown sugar and maple syrup. I used a fork to mix everything together.3- In another medium bowl whisk together the flour, turbinado sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.4- In a small bowl whisk together the applesauce, coconut milk, soy milk and vanilla.5- Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mix and stir until smooth.6- Pour the cake batter into the baking dish.7- Sprinkle the coconut-apple mix evenly over the cake batter and gently press it down with your hand.8- Bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack9- Transfer the cake to the top rack and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. I like transferring it to the top rack so the topping gets toasty.

This is the second time I make this cake, I wanted to be sure all the ingredients were accurate before I shared it with you! You will definitely need to eat this cake on a plate and use a fork, because the coconut-apple topping is very crumbly.

You know, I'm never going to lose any weight if you keep tempting me with cakey delights! Cruel, River. Just cruel! ;) Are those your mini no-meat loaves with the brussel sprouts? That entire plate looks delicious!

Happy New Year!I couldn't believe Brussel sprouts were good either...until I tried to roast them too.Congrats on being a tester, I am sure you will have lots of fun!Hang in there, you can gain that pound!

Happy New Year! Well done for braving sprouts! So many people that really like veggies hate brussels, and the only green veggie I like is brockers ~ so I don't really fancy my chances with sprouts. Maybe I should suck it up and try them.......I'm just about to make your meatloaves again for our Sunday Lunch! Nom, nom, nom! Very much looking forwards to it!And ~ Mmmmm.Cake.Good luck with that stubborn pound! "Hmmmm,Do it you can. Gain it you will!" (as Yoda would say!) >:o)

Congrats on trying out the sprouts and your goal to try new foods! I actually love brussels sprouts--and they are sooo good for you. I'll admit, though, that the cake looks a wee bit more appealing ;)! YUM.

Yep, your Brussels look dandy and wonderful! I am glad you liked them! I always try to spread the Brussels sprout gospel because they seriously are so good, but people tend to turn their noses up. I even roasted some for my din-din tonight. :)

That coconut cake is incredible! So pretty. It's funny, most people are trying to lose weight this time of year, but you are pulling out the cake and treats!

Those waffles look great, and I think all of us can take those resolutions to heart. Yay for 2009!

bring on the cakes, indeed! mmmmmmmmm! i hope it gets you another pound more! i loooooooove coconut, too! your coconut-apple cake looks divine!

happy new year to you, River! :)

i need to give Bianca's waffles a whirl, too - we're testing recipes for her new cookbook as well. i'm so excitedface! that's awesome you're a tester, too! hooray! the waffles look perfect! we don't have a waffle maker - so we're gonna try them in pancake form next weekend - i can't wait!

i love your resolutions - staying positive & enjoying life is the best! and that's great that you're gonna be trying new yummies, too! brussel sprouts are my favorite - i'm glad you liked them!

Happy New Year! May you reach your goals to be happy and enjoy life. :) Congratulations on trying and liking Brussels sprouts. I like them very much and bought a bag today after craving them for a couple weeks. Ooh, another congratulations for being chosen as a Bianca tester! I'm sure you'll continue having a great time with her recipes.

Best wishes for a joyous 2009! I think those are great resolutions. The best resolution I've heard was a long time ago and it was simply, to be a better person. So all encompasing. It's been my resolution every year since. Some years are better than others. ;-)

Glad you finally tried brussel sprouts. I think they are so delicious.

river, i am so jealous of your brownie-cake-waffle-eating self!!! haha weight gain has never looked so tasty.

especially this cake. my gosh. coconut and me have been best friends for a while, too. i can't get enough of the stuff. i love coconut date rolls. i honestly eat at least 8 when i tell myself i'll have 1.

EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING you made here looks sooo amazing! You always impress with your fabulous photos and meals. I ADORE coconut as well, good and good for you! Can't get much better then that, right?? HAPPY NEW YEAR BABE!

Brussel sprouts are on my to-cook list. Those waffles sound great. I picked up a belgian waffle maker at a thrift shop but I haven't yet figured out the correct batter to maker ratio. I should pick up one like yours because the huge round waffles don't fit in the toaster! Your coconut-apple cake looks YUMMY! And moist! My mom should try it! :)

I love coconut! That cake looks really tasty! I'm trying to gain weight too and I totally understand how hard it is. I feel like all I do is eat and I'm still struggling to gain any weight. I'll have to try making this cake :)

Welcome to Wing It Vegan! I am River and this blog is where I keep track of my favorite recipes. Hopefully you will find some new favorites here as well! Please, don't run away scared if you're not vegan! I promise I won't throw rotten beets or snarky judgments at you. MORE